DAMN RIGHT IT’S MY BOY PSYDUCK IN THE HEADER.
Yes, this film is called Pokémon Detective Pikachu (3 syllables per word?! MADNESS…) but I’m here to watch my favourite headachey boy GO WILD.
Because that’s ultimately what this film is about; Pokénonsense for Pokéfans that succeeds in bridging that fine gap between video game movie and good movie.
Ace detective Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son, Tim (Justice Smith), to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry’s former Pokémon partner, wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth Detective Pikachu (Ryan Reynolds). Finding that they are uniquely equipped to work together, as Tim is the only human who can talk with Pikachu, they join forces to unravel the tangled mystery.
From the intro, this film is all about the fans. Fantastically campy and cute, it’s the best of Pokémon wrapped up into an adventure that parallels the likes of the first animated features.
Our hero is casually named “Tim”, played by Justice Smith, because I guess we couldn’t have those incredible names from the franchise just yet. Characteristically robotic at first, he plays similarly to Ash in the first few episodes of Pokémon, right down to the point where the characters start to love doing what they do.
Partnered up with the dynamo that is Ryan Reynolds as Pikachu, this completely conventional pairing, by Pokémon standards, go on a wild adventure through Ryme City, which is also a completely normal place by Pokémon standards.
Delectably drenched in Pokécolours, the film’s ultimate point of merit is that it WANTS to stay close to the source material. I recall an article where the film enlisted artist RJ Palmer to work on it, as that dude did some freaky real Pokémon and you can see they managed to find a happy medium for it. Cute, yet somehow real, your favourites jump off the screen in a fashion akin to how often Ash’s pokémon would jump on him.
I will say I’m horribly bias in my rating for Pokémon Detective Pikachu, as it succeeds in doing what it intended to do. Like I said, this is for the fans. The narrative clunkiness, heavy exposition and exceptional cheesiness of it will wear thin on those who only KNOW of the Pokébrand. But for those of us who grew up with the original 151 and have kept in touch with it enough to stay loyal to the fandom, are rewarded in plenty of surprising ways.
Pokémon Detective Pikachu has enough spark in it to create a movie universe where they can start doing things that we may not have thought of when it comes to the world of Pokémon.
And with such potential there’s no harm in thinking that one day, they may be the very best, like no one ever was.
Summary
If you don't know your Greninja's from your Bulbasaurs, then this might just be a weird, campy creature romp for you. But for fans of Pokémon, Detective Pikachu is a fun adventure through the worlds we know, with the partners we love and the need to catch 'em all (by solving twisty mysteries...TWISTYRIES...).
